Young carers are the unsung heroes of the care system, selflessly providing support for the people they love. I am pleased that the Government is absolutely committed to doing all it can to support young carers, enabling them to live a full life, as well as protecting them from excessive or inappropriate caring responsibilities.
The 16-19 Bursary Fund is specifically designed to provide financial support to help students overcome specific barriers to participation, so they can remain in education, and young carers are exactly the kind of group that should be helped. However, every young carer will have different needs, which is why it's so important that they get tailored assistance - I do not think a "one size fits all" approach is appropriate.
The discretionary part of the bursary is entirely suited to this purpose, and indeed Government guidance specifically suggests young carers to schools and colleges as a recipient of these funds. I think it is important to stress that many young carers need other support too, not just money. It is much more important that young carers get the support they need, rather than being given a cheque and left to fend for themselves.
After visited carer’s centres in Bath, I learnt that one of the key issues is that many young carers are unknown to their teachers, which is why the Government has created specific training guides for teachers and teaching staff to enable them to better identify and support young carers. In addition, we are providing funding to the Children's Society and Carers Trust to encourage children and adult services to adopt 'whole family' approaches to supporting young carers.